Open Unto Us the Doors of Compassion

Very soon after the publication of his early chant arrangements in the late 1890s, Kastalsky was hailed by colleagues and critics as the inaugurator of a new style in Russian sacred choral music. In this gentle, lyrical prayer of entreaty to the Virgin Mary, the composer pioneers the technique of composing new melodies out of the formulaic melodic kernels of znamenny chant. Kastalsky also shows himself to be a master of choral color, varying sonorities and textures in a manner that would later be taken up and expanded upon by Rachmaninoff and other Russian composers of the early 20th century. Suitable as a general general Marian anthem.
(Recorded by Archangel Voices on their CD, Panagia: Hymns to the Most Holy Mother of God, release date: November 2013)